About GGCP

GGCP Logo

The Glen Grove Community Project (GGCP) started as a discussion among staff at Glen Grove Schol regarding how well they knew their community. Founding members included Aurora Joaquin (speech-language pathologist), Natalie Ceprnich (EL teacher), Marie Chang-Pisano (reading intervention associate), Katelyn Kelleher (school psychologist), Katharine Ellison (principal), Justin Johnson (D34 Multilingual Coach), and Sylvia Górski Duarte (D34 Title 1 Parent Resource Teacher). They set out to inquire about 1) What do families celebrate? and 2) What is important about those celebrations?

The first year of the initiative (2021-2022) involved collecting information, which led to the building blocks of the GGCP website. Most holidays fell under the following themes:

  • Remembering Loved Ones - Ways in which families remembered those who had passed
  • Traditions of Thanksgiving - Customs surrounding giving thanks to the Earth and to family
  • Festivals of Light - Celebration of the symbolic triumph of good over evil, even in the darkest of days
  • New Beginnings - Traditions of ringing in the new year, no matter which calendar is followed
  • Milestones - Celebrations to different ages and rites of passage that mark special times in a person's life
  • Changing of the Seasons - How people celebrate the coming of spring and symbols of new life
  • Celebrating People - Customs and Holidays that honor special people in a person's life
  • Summer Celebrations - Ways that people spend time together in the summer or mark transitions to summer

Over the past few years, the GGCP has expanded to include events celebrating various community traditions, a monthly newsletter, rotating displays in the school building, and an ever-growing network of local partnerships.

it is our mission is to celebrate and share what we have learned from our students and families over the years, and it is our joy to be a part of such a diverse, wonderful community in Glenview.

Here is what we've accomplished over the years!